Something in the Mineral Water
by Emancipated Jello
Summary: Erica has always been in the shadow of her older sister Claire, and when she's forced to take over her farm, things look like they won't ever change. But was Claire really who she appeared to be, or are residents of Mineral Town just crazy? OCxGray/Kai
1. Another Hand Me Down

Hey there, I'm Jello. This is my first ever fanfic, and it's based on a game I've only been playing for a few weeks now. XD So please, if there's anything in this which is completely and utterly wrong, correct me, or at least guide me to what it should be. Like I said, I've only recently been sucked into the Harvest Moon franchise, but I'm completely addicted. XD Please note that I'm European, and I spell a few things differently to those across the pond (just a few extra vowels here and there).

Harvest Moon and all its related characters belong to Marvelous Interactive, I don't own any of the original characters in this story. :3

Hope you enjoy! -

**Chapter 1 - Another Hand-Me-Down**

That day, everyone had commented on how beautiful the bride looked. Right from the moment when the mahogany doors swung open to reveal the enchantingly radiant woman bedecked from head to toe in an ensemble consisting of white silk, satin and muslin, there had been gasps from the guests who were readying their tissues and best embarrassing speeches only irritating relatives were capable of. With a huge smile plastered upon her delicately made-up face (they'd swept a thin layer of silver glitter upon her eyelids and painted the rest of her like the exquisite thing she was), she seemingly floated down the aisle in the cliché way customary of all blushing brides. Even her father, who was rarely seen wearing any emotion, let alone the pride which was so evidently swelling from the body language he exhibited, had fallen victim to the hubbub of happiness joyfully lingering in the atmosphere.

It was a shame that the groom was captivated by the vegetables collected for the Harvest Festival, rather than how his fiancée (and soon to be blissfully wedded wife, until his diet ended up killing him prematurely and leaving her a widow to raise their five buxom kids) was literally blinding the whole congregation with her virgin-beauty. They were an odd couple, yet their pairing made sense. She was a pretty farmer, who lovingly grew crops and tended to her animals so that they would produce the finest dairy products in all the land, and he was a fat, greedy freak who enjoyed traversing the globe and stuffing his face with anything edible. Perhaps they weren't the kindest of words to describe my prospective brother-in-law, but then again, the Gourmet wouldn't be able to encapsulate my appearance and personality in more affectionate terms. I just didn't understand what Claire saw in him, especially when she'd written so animatedly about the bachelors of Mineral Town in her letters to me and how much she enjoyed their company.

Our grandfather had told me that sometimes, people consumed various things which made them delirious, and distorted their perception of everything. He'd rattled on about how when you went to 'strange' places such as Mineral Town, you had to be careful of what you ate and drank, else you'd be riddled with disease for the rest of your life. I replied to him that the water was fine, and that it was probably because Claire had some sort of mental problem due to the amount of times I (reportedly) whacked her over the head with my rattle, or one of the other toys from the plethora which literally swamped our family when I was born.

So as my big sister was making her final preparations to marry the Blob (it came from a place unknown!), I was scouting out aforementioned bachelors from the decent position I held, looking out at the crowd seated in the pews, trying to match up various faces with the descriptions Claire had given me. Rick had long blond hair and a penchant for wearing headbands; Gray's was auburn, and he wore a hat with 'UMA' emblazoned on the front along with a scowl; Cliff had brown hair tied back in a ponytail and seemingly had something on his mind all the time; Doctor barely changed out of his white coat and stethoscope ensemble; Kai was somewhat tanned and stood out from the rest with his purple bandana. My search resulted in that three of the five boys were there (Rick, Gray and Cliff, respectively), whereas the latter two were absent.

I brushed the matter aside as I caught my mother's eye, her hawk stare tinged with salty tears instructing me to keep still and listen to the pastor recite the first of the vows. I hoped that my wedding won't be as dull and boring as this one was panning out to be. I also hoped that I wouldn't have a lobotomy in the next few years like my sister obviously had, and marry another one of Nature's disasters. I was still in a state of incredulity, to be honest, even as I stood there in my pale pink bridesmaid's dress watching the darn ceremony take place.

After what had seemed like an eternity of standing there, holding my miniature boquet of flowers (a replica of Claire's roses and other plants which I couldn't pronounce the Latinate names of), we were finally permitted to venture outside, and watch Mr. Gourmet try and catch the rice paper scattered by the enthusiastic members of our party with his mouth. It was perculiar that he was the only one of his 'clan' present, but then again, we all wanted to eat later on, and didn't want to be a) put off our meal by the delights of Gourment Senior and family, or b) left starving after watching the food being devoured in nanoseconds. They might not have all fitted in the church either, let alone in between the pews.

After being subjected to having my photograph taken with the family, I managed to break away from the cluster of boisterous aunties and female friends to indulge in a bit of sight-seeing. Of course, I was restricted to staying around the area surrounding the church, because they were still preparing Rose Square for the festivities, and I'd most likely get lost if I wandered any further. Allowing the hand clutching my flowers to droop limply by my side, I gazed around at the scenery Mineral Town had to offer. It was strange being in a place where there were no skyscrapers obstructing the sunlight from bathing the land in its golden rays, and where the sound of traffic was practically non-existant. Even the air was of a different quality, sparse of toxic fumes and second hand cigarette smoke which found their way into my lungs each time I ventured outside. No wonder Claire was so rosy-cheeked and radiant. I must have looked like a wet mop, in comparison to her and despite everyone's futile attempts to find my inner princess.

I leant forward, resting my elbows upon the wooden fence which marked the boundary of the place of worship and linked it to the road which ran alongside it. The neatly arranged boquet was now mingling with the grass- wouldn't Claire be annoyed if she saw how badly I was treating something she'd bought especially for me? Annoying Claire had always been fun, as a way of venting out my fustrations on the wretched girl. Then she had moved away, and found happiness. Perhaps maybe it was time for me to follow suit, I thought, as I began to pick at the grain, naturally embedded in the material which made up the fence. Oh dear, there went the false nails too. Becoming bored of contemplating my own hopeless life, I decided it was time to survey the town once more, to see what had changed in the short space of thirty seconds. Nothing much, other than the fact that there was a raven haired man staring right back at me, some few yards away. I held his gaze for a second, before he opted to surrender and allowed me to be the victor of our miniature staring contest, walking away with his head hung low.

Why hadn't he been invited? I was pretty sure that everyone from the town was welcome to my sister's wedding, though I didn't blame him for skipping out. Before I had any other chances to ponder, I felt a light tap on my bare shoulder. Slowly turning around, and ready to answer my mother's question of "Why aren't you with the rest of us?", I found it not to be her, but a baby-faced woman with candyfloss-pink hair angelically framing her face.

"You're Erica, right?" She queried, tilting her head to the side, her porcelain doll's lips pouted in a tiny 'o' shape. I guess she was meaning to be cute, and despite this, I found her to be less irritating than the squawking relatives.

"That's me." I replied bluntly.

"My name's Popuri! I'm a friend of your sister!"

"Congratulations?" Is what I wanted to say. But I held my tongue. It was just as well, as Popuri (was that her natural hair colour?) didn't give me a chance to reply.

"Claire told me she wants to see you, urgently. It's weird you know, you look like her from the back, and you do from the front too!" Popuri was very good at stating the obvious, I observed. "Only... You have different colour eyes! And she looks happier than you do."

So that was her plan. Send the most annoying person to drive me insane, and into my sister's devious and cunning plan to try and get Gourmet and myself to like eachother. Sorry sis, but that wasn't going to be happening any time soon. Reluctantly, and with Popuri suddenly bringing up the subject of chickens, I left my tranquility behind to return to the chaos which I was more accustomed to. A somewhat breathless Claire swooped upon me as I neared her, and hauled me aside.

"Erica, I need to ask you something!" She beamed ecstatically, from either the typical bridal ecstasy, or from the amount of wine she'd already drank. She'd need it, if she was planning on going ahead with the wedding night and honeymoon. And the rest of her life.

"What is it?" I felt sorry for any future nieces and nephews of mine. Not for Claire though. She'd made her decision willingly.

"Well. Gourmet and I discussed this after our engagement..." She hadn't even thought of her own children. What a selfish... "We're going to move away from here soon, Erica."

"You mean... You're only going away for your honeymoon, right? And the townsfolk said they'd look after the farm until you get back..."

"That's the thing. We won't be coming back. So um," Claire giggled. I didn't like that giggle, it usually meant something bad was to succeed it. "We spoke to Mother and Father. And they said that it would do you good if you were to come out here and run it! Isn't it wonderful, Erica? I'm going to be leaving my farm in your hands!"

...WHAT?


	2. Macho Man and UMA Boy

Wow. :O I didn't expect to have so many positive reviews for my fanfic. XD To answer some of the questions- yes, I'm not kidding when I say this is my first fan fic, though I have been writing stories and such since I've been able to pick up a pen. So I do have a little writing experience, I suppose. - I have decided who Erica will end up with (not telling however, so you'll have to keep reading! XD), and I've also planned the next five or so chapters. I hope I don't run this story into the ground or the corner, or any other things which would mean that I've totally screwed it up... XD (Also, I'm sorry for the delay between chapters! I've been busy with school work, and my computer's been playing up as well...)

Harvest Moon and all its related characters belong to Marvelous Interactive, I don't own any of the original characters from the game in this story. :3 Please note that this chapter contains -mild- language.

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**Chapter 2- Macho Man and UMA Boy**

I wasn't allowed to move to Mineral Town until after the winter had passed. What with Claire's wedding having taken place in early Fall, by the time she and my blue whale of a brother-in-law had returned from their exotic yet predictable honeymoon location, the leaves of the trees had already begun to litter the verdant grass with various hues of red and orange; tinged with crispy brown outlines which gave them the appearance of being literally drawn on the ground, the ancient, wooded artisans creating warm masterpieces below their naked boughs. The temperature had also declined somewhat- despite the fact that Mineral Town was south of the city which I was soon to be torn away from, it was considerably cooler than the area situated under the heat bubble generated by pollution. It took them a further two weeks to clear the farmhouse of all Claire's belongings, and transport them to the ship which was destined to carry it to their new home. I did contemplate how on Earth the ship was meant to tolerate the furniture, the extensive collection of cookery books and Gourmet without sinking, until I was informed that they would be journeying to the marital house on a seperate occasion. That was a real bummer, because I'd already selected my funeral outfit, and spent the last of my paycheck on a matching pair of shoes, rendering me bankrupt.

When my friends back home had heard about my sudden inheritance, there was a rainbow of reactions. Anger that I'd had such a responsability thrust upon me without my say. Fear that I would come to harm, living alone. Jealousy that I was going to have my own place. Sadness that I was leaving, and so forth, through the entire spectrum of emotions. The most abundant however, was shock. Me, Erica, a farmer? Everyone had convinced themselves that I was going to become a writer, or at least something concerning shoving words on pieces of paper and wowing the world with my 'talent'. Writing really wasn't the thing I enjoyed most, it was merely a necessity which I happened to be skilled at. Of course, the same could have been said for my passion, but I felt much more satisfied (and somewhat arrogant, admittedly) with my prowess at cooking than I did writing. It was the one thing I had over Claire- I didn't need books to teach me how to concoct a delicious batch of curried noodles or strawberry pavlova. It was also the reason why I hadn't gone to college- instead of moving out to study in a place far, far away from home, I had decided to take a job at one of the restaurants in the city and gradually work my way up. Even if I wasn't destined to become a renowned chef, so long as there was something I was better at than Claire, it made me happy.

Working at a restaurant meant that my farewell party was filled with delicious snacks and goodies, as well as the inevitable tears (not mine, however, I was more concerned about how quickly they'd managed to scout out my replacement). Of course, I would miss them, but over time, their faces would become blurred snapshots in my memory- insignificant and buried under a pile of everything else, just like those of the other children in my first grade class. They would be pondered on if need be, or if something else stirred them from their 'slumber'.

Eventually, Spring succeeded the (apparently) bitter winter, and also typical festivities of noodles, ricecakes and fireworks. Just like my sister had done three years previously, I packed my bags and caught the ship to Mineral Town. With thirty-thousand gold in my pocket which my parents had presented to me as a Christmas gift (I had also contributed to this sum somewhat, with my savings), I was uncharacteristically optimistic towards my new life as a farmer. Until, that was, we sailed under the rain cloud which was looming omniously above the town. Which rendered me absolutely soaking wet, so much that I felt that the water had percolated through my skin to my muscles and bones, and made them as soggy and miserable as the rest of me was.

A man named Zack was there to greet me, though I knew that this wasn't the truth- he had merely been walking out from the building beside the jetty when the ship had docked, and happened to be called over by the captain. He had been at the wedding too, though I couldn't remember seeing or interacting with him. Apparently, he knew who I was. Because he addressed me as 'Claire's sister'. It was better than being mistaken for her, I suppose.

Zack was kind enough to help me with my belongings, despite the torrent which the Heavens seemed so adamant to ruin my day with. He was engaging in conversation as we walked across the sodden sand, which decided to cling to the soles of my sneakers. There was no way I was going to arrive in town wearing rubber boots- I wanted to retain my image as a normal, ordinary city girl until I arrived at the farm and got stuck in. It was a tough job dragging case after case up the steps leading to Rose Square (I think Zack was regretting his offer to be gentlemanly and assist the newbie), and the rain made no effort to calm down.

"Hold on a sec," Zack said suddenly, as we trundled towards the path leading to the southern half of the main town. Setting down the luggage which he was carrying, the man began to jog in the opposite direction we were headed, abandoning me in the rain, with neither a clue of where exactly I was going, nor the manpower required to transport my clothes to the farmhouse. I let a loud, impatient sigh escape my lips. I hadn't noticed them before, but a gaggle of women shielded from the downpour with fashionable umbrellas were now staring at me, mentally ticking various judgement boxes in preparation to exchange opinions once I was out of earshot. Or not.

"Isn't that Claire's little sister?"

"She looks a lot like her, don't you think?"

"No, Claire was a lot more cheery!"

"Now that you mention it Manna..."

"She's definately different..."

"I'm always right about these things!"

"Hush now, she's looking our way!

"What should we do?"

"Turn away, turn away! Quickly!"

"Did you hear about..."

Obviously they assumed that I was hard of hearing, because there was no trace of guilt or remorse for their blatant vocal analysis of their newest neighbour-me. For one of the first times in my life, I felt uncomfortable with my decision to allow Claire to force her farm on me and let her get away with it. I pulled the wet hood of my jacket over my head some more, so that I stopped myself from sending them a harsh glare, and so that I blocked them out before I was consumed by the impulse to send a rude hand gesture their way. I thrust my hands in my pockets, gazing down at the ground, and the puddles rippling upon the surface as rain plummeted down.

After what had seen like an eternity, Zack returned, with another reluctant male in tow. I couldn't make out who he was, for he stood behind the taller, burlier specimen, and though he was dressed in impractical 'rain' clothes like I was, he was dry. For now.

"Claire..."

"It's Erica," I interrupted acidically.

"Right, sorry, Erica. This is Gray. He'll help you back to the farm."

Zack stepped aside to reveal Gray, otherwise known as Grumpy UMA Boy, almost as willing as he was to carry my bags for me. Sighing, I shook my head slightly, but subtly enough so that they wouldn't be able to tell.

"Hi there Gray. Thanks for helping me... Please, don't worry, it's not as heavy as it seems." I said politely, despite my mood.

No response. I glanced at Zack, who shrugged his shoulders. Gray on the other hand, remained stoic and voiceless. Aside from the grunt which accompanied him otherwise silently picking up the heftier of my luggage and wandering down the path in the direction of the farm. Somewhat irked by his lack of manners, and grateful that we were finally moving again, I thanked Zack and followed suit.

Gray did not talk for the entire duration of the journey. It was as if I had severely pissed him off, judging from his body language at least. But I wasn't the one who'd asked him to help me, that was Macho Man Zack's fault. In all honestly, I was pissed myself, what with the three crones (Shakespeare would be inspired by them if he were alive today) comparing me to the C-word. Claire. On the subject of Claire, upon reaching the farmhouse and fumbling with the key before I was finally able to let myself in, I wanted to throttle her as I took in the sight before me. The entire main room of the house was completely barren of furniture. No couch, no television, no bed- not even the marble kitchen she had bragged about in her letters.

"Oh yeah..." (Gray had a voice?) "Zack told me to tell you that Claire took everything. And the bathroom extension she was having built for her isn't finished yet. So you can't stay here."

"What about the animals?" I queried, struggling to keep my tone far from the anger and rage bubbling intensely within me.

"She sold them. There's nothing on the farm except the buildings."

Gray looked slightly taken aback as I lifted one of the suitcases from the wooden floor, and hurled it into the centre of the room, leaving a puddle where it had once rested. The case exploded upon impact, t-shirts, jeans and sweaters spilling everywhere. Along with a few bras, which had been packed at the bottom of that particular one. If he had been scared of me before, he was terrified of me now. He tried to hide his scarlet face beneath the peak of his cap, but the red tinge in his cheeks was hard to conceal behind the blue garment. My own face was far from its pallid city complexion either, yet Gray was afflicted more with the embarrassment than I was. I still had fury surging through my veins.

"Uh... Erica... I'll go take you to the Mayor. He'll probably be able to sort you something out... Come on... Let's go..."

He (gingerly) ushered me out, back into the rain. Wherever they were, probably stuffing their faces with five star quality food, Claire and Gourmet were laughing their heads off at my 'misfortune'. Misfortune, my ass.


	3. Kooks of Mineral Town

-waves- Yay for all the great reviews you guys took the time out to write. D I feel all warm and fuzzy inside (not to mention motivated; a big thing for a lazy procastinator such as myself xD), and yeah. xD Sorry this update took so long to occur- I've been studying for a French oral exam for the past week, and I had the test today. For all those who care, I did pretty good, for those who don't- I'm sorry that you've just wasted five seconds of your life reading that. ;D Anyway, on with Chapter 3!

Oh yeah, I also got married (at last, hehe xD) on my MFoMT game. Though the guy I married isn't the guy who Erica will end up with. And remember- she hasn't met all the guys yet. A girl's got to keep her options open, right? xD

Harvest Moon and all its related characters belong to Marvelous Interactive, I don't own any of the original characters from the game in this story. :3

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**Chapter 3 - Kooks of Mineral Town**

It was obvious that there was no way that I was going to be able to spend the first night of my new life in my hand-me-down home- not unless I had an epiphany, and suddenly gained all the knowledge in the universe concerning carpentry and its required tools. And fabricating a blanket out of twigs and leaves, like the presenters of those typical nature programmes were able to do. Unfortunately for me, aforementioned epiphany was absent, and I was forced to rely on the assistance and advice of the townsfolk, who were more than willing to help me. Yeah, right.

Gray fulfilled his declaration to kindly escort me, in the rain, to where the Mayor happened to live. Not only was it one of the farthest buildings from my house, when we arrived, the Mayor graciously asked if we could possibly leave, as he was preparing to eat dinner with his son, who literally emanated the fact that he'd rather be anywhere else but there, and subjected to his father's cooking. Admittedly, the latter part of that description was concluded from the unpleasant aroma of over-boiled vegetable stew, pungently disgusting in the air; the former from the expression on his face. Though, I mused to myself, silently restraining the urge to smirk, the pained look was possibly due to the fact that 'My Dear Princess' was shamefully flickering on their television screen in the background, and we had caught them viewing the (somewhat predictable) shoujo anime.

"Yes Gray?" The Mayor asked somewhat irritably as we loitered in the aperture, raindrops dripping from the roof down on our heads, despite the fact we were sheltered.

"This is Erica, Claire's replacement."

"Excuse me?" I hissed moodily from under the sodden hood of my jacket. Perhaps after witnessing my spontaneous outburst back on the farm (not to mention my undergarments), Gray was somewhat afraid of me- judging by the hasty correction of his previous statement.

"Uh, I mean. Claire's sister. Erica."

"Welcome to Mineral Town Erica, I hope you work very hard on your farm and have a wonderful time here," the Mayor gabbled boredly, as if it were his job to robotically repeat it day after day. Though he most likely wanted to get back to his position on the couch, and find out whether the Demon Lord drank his hostage's fruit juice or not.

"That's the problem Sir, I don't have anything to work with. The whole place is empty- there's not even a bed for me to sleep on."

There was nothing comical about my explanation, yet still the small, podgy man found it hilarious. Even his mismatched son seemed to forget about the antics on the television to join in with the raucous mirth. If only I had possessed a hammer at that point- then the mirth would have been reversed. However, I endeavoured to remain civil, no matter how infuriated I was becoming with these buffoons. Gray had disappeared into the shadows, to brood characteristically against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.

"I-I'll make a call!" The Mayor guaffawed inbetween his wheezes. "T-the second ship must've been... Delayed!"

I was immensely confused as to what exactly was so hilarious about my predicament. I was too busy speculating the weather as we docked earlier to notice the lack of a second ship- yet I had made the assumption that it had journeyed during the winter, after Claire and Gourmet had left. As the two men collapsed on the floor, gripped with what appeared to be hysteria, Gray boldly tugged on my sleeve.

"Come on, I know where you can go."

"Where?" I asked, curious to know whether he was asking me to stay with him, at his place.

"There's an inn a little walk from here. They've always got spare beds, you can stay there for the night. The food's pretty good too."

"Fine." Came my reply- I was opting to only talk in monosyllables from hereon, until my fustration dwindled and I had no anger to suppress, at least.

The warmth of the inn was extremely pleasant, and welcoming. Several customers stared in our direction, their minds instantly questioning the identity of the strange girl Gray had brought with him, and what connection she had to the town. I deliberately took the opportunity to reveal my face to my audience, awaiting their double-takes and the whirring of their memories to inform them that I was the bride's younger, false-nailed doppelganger, back at the wedding. Some of their faces were familiar to me- the old man with the creased, wrinkled visage and the white tufts of hair protruding from his chin and above his rounded spectacles; the man in the green, feathered hat who was trying to masquerade as a cowboy-esque Robin Hood; the young woman with the eyecatchingly vibrant orange hair scampering towards us.

"Heya Gray!" She seemed genuinely pleased to see us, despite the fact we looked particularly bedraggled and had left a incriminating path of muddy footprints across the otherwise spotless wooden floor. What was it with all the girls in this town? Popuri, who I had encountered at the wedding, exhibited luminous pink hair. This one had tresses which gave me cravings for raw carrot. "Who's this?" Happy-Smiley-Carrot-Hair-Girl beamed. Gray was chivalrous enough to allow me the honour of introducing myself, this time.

"I'm Erica- the new farmer?" I paused to await her reaction. She nodded- I pondered whether or not her cheeks ached with all this smiling she was doing, before continuing. "Long story short, my house isn't ready yet and--"

"You need somewhere to stay?"

"Yeah. Who do I need to--"

"Me! Well. My dad owns this place, so technically he's the one you need to talk to. But we've got plenty of beds free, so I'm sure it's not a problem for you to stay here. I'm Ann, by the way." She held out her hand for me to shake. I replied to her gesture quickly, before she had time to interrupt me on a third occasion.

"That'd be great." For the first time since I had left the city, I found myself smiling. Whether it was because Ann's was so damn infectious, or because I was relieved that I wouldn't have to stay in the same place as Gray did. The relief soon escaped, as Ann directed me to my assigned bed. Which just so happened to be located next to another, featuring a mountain of clothes piled upon the duvet. Men's clothes, no less.

"That's my bed," Gray said with mingled sheepishness and male possessiveness, as if I had any desire to sleep on it.

"Yeah," Ann giggled in her own ovine way. "The other room is still being cleaned, so I'm afraid you two will have to share this one."

"Fine with me," I lied, squelching my way to my designated bed and patting it, in order to determine how comfortable I would be, and how much sleep I would get. The mattress was reasonable, for an inn.

"Mmkay." Came the girl's voice once more. "There's a bathroom at the end of the hall that we walked along before we came in here. It's only got a toilet and a sink at the moment, because the shower needs cleaning too."

"Perhaps you should get your dad to fire your cleaner?" I suggested. Ann looked somewhat amused.

"Erica, I'm the cleaner!" She laughed- what was it with the townsfolk and the things I said? Was the word 'comedienne' tattooed across my forehead, in large, capitalised letters? At least humour was better than her being offended, I supposed. "My dad wouldn't be able to fire me."

Was there something wrong with my being slightly nervous about that sentence?

Gray and I managed to ready ourselves for bed without any further embarrassments, though the awkwardness still lingered. As I stared up at the ceiling, the blanket pulled under my chin to insulate me against the hybrid of spring and winter air blowing gently through the open window at the back of the room, I could hear the rustling of fabric, and the low squeak of springs.

"You know Gray, I'm not going to bite you as you sleep." I mumbled crabbily, the noises beginning to grate on my nerves. "Or hit you with my bags, or throw my underwear at you." I received no response. Great, my temporary roomie happened to be a serial fidgeter. Who snored very loudly. It was strange- for the first time in my life, I wished that I had a tolerance for earplugs.


	4. More Kooks of Mineral Town

Yeah, I haven't written for a while. Shortly after I finished Chapter 3, I had to start preparing for major school exams (my A levels, which determine what I can study at college, and which college I get accepted into), as well as my driving test (which I passed). This all finished in mid-June, and from then until the end of July, I was busy with family things and also my birthday. ( So I'm very sorry for letting the series go on an unexpected, sudden hiatus, and that this addition is so late. But I'm ready to get back into it now, and hopefully I won't get torn away again.

Let's see, random HM news. I deleted my original file on MFoMT TT; But I have DS Cute now, so once this story is finished, I've got another ready to write.

Harvest Moon and all its related characters belong to Marvelous Interactive, I don't own any of the original characters from the game in this story. :3

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**Chapter 4 - More Kooks of Mineral Town**

In an idyllic world, one which happened to lie at the completely opposite end of the spectrum to the one in which I was inhabiting, I would have been awoken by the sound of sweet little bluebirds chirruping merrily to one another, and of the dawn breeze caressing the delicate fabric preventing the light from disturbing my sleep. Instead, I was subjected to a loud and familiar voice shrieking right in my ear, alongside the slamming of a door. Rubbing my eyes to rid myself of the sleep dust that had accumulated in the corner of my tear ducts, I stared somewhat dazed up at the redhead who had perched herself at the foot of my bed and was grinning idiotically at me. Then, I detected the aroma of pancakes wafting from the tray she had placed upon the table across the room- the wind was almost lackadaisically blowing the scent in my direction, causing my stomach to gurgle in anticipation towards the inevitable gorging of batter, maple syrup and the three strawberries neatly arranged at the side of the plate.

"I thought I better wake you up," Ann's head bobbed up and down, I could see her ponytail jiggling about. "Gray's already left to go to work, his grandfather's kinda strict..."

To be honest, I felt like grouchily informing her that I didn't give a monkey's as to Gray's personal schedule (and home life), but instead I settled for nodding uncharacteristically meekly, too occupied with the prospect of breakfast. Yawning as I clambered out of bed, I wandered over to the table in my pajamas (consisting simply of a pair of blue shorts and an old white tee depicting some cartoon character I used to obsess over as a child), ignoring Ann for the time being.

"Bon appetit," she said warmly, claiming the seat adjacent to mine- perhaps she was endeavouring to make me feel welcome to Mineral Town. "Oh! Erica, before I forget. Mayor Thomas popped in earlier- he wanted to talk to you about the house? I didn't want to wake you because you probably had some boat lag or something, so I took a message! The ship carrying your new furniture got caught in a storm out at sea- if left some time after the other one, so I guess you missed it- luckily. Nothing's been damaged though!" Ann assured me, she had probably captured the expression on my face. "It just got delayed, is all. But the movers are here now, so you should be able to get in the farmhouse this evening. It'd probably be a good idea to avoid the farm though- don't wanna get in their way... Well... Actually, I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out with me today? I could give you a guide of the town, introduce you to the people- the weather's cleared right up!"

Contemplating her offer, I deduced that I had nothing to lose- what the girl was proposing might even benefit me, if I was to be stuck in this place for the remainder of my life. Therefore, after finishing breakfast (which admittedly, was pretty darn good), I thanked Ann, got ready and then joined her for what seemed to be the longest walk of my life (my energy had already been depleted by the lack of sleep from the night before). Eventually, after walking me to the Goddess Spring, the two of us parted.

"You look really tired Erica," Ann informed me- I assumed she was referring to the dark circles encompassing my eyes, which I'd noticed whilst getting cleaned up in the bathroom. "If you carry on from this path, you'll eventually get to the hot springs. Rest there for a few hours, take some time to relax, okay?" I felt like I had no choice, yet simultaneously, soaking myself in a giant pool of hot water alone and undisturbed was very appealing at that moment in time. "You can go in there so long as the sign's not up- just make sure to put it up while you're inside, unless you want Barley to join you..."

I shuddered at the thought, recalling the friendly old man who had offered to give me some free fodder the next time I went to his store. Whilst he was aimiable enough, even picturing him naked was enough to make me regret eating those pancakes.

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to put the sign up," I informed her. "I'm guessing that there are towels already in there?"

"Yup, I come here pretty much every day to collect the used towels and replace them with fresh ones. Well, I guess I'll see you later, Erica!"

"Thanks Ann," I mumbled, walking off

The water soaking into my skin was perhaps the best feeling that I'd experienced all day. Steam billowed from the surface, rising upwards until it evaporated some few feet above my head. I was sitting on a ledge fashioned from rock, my entire body from the shoulders down submerged. Closing my eyes, I inhaled and exhaled slowly and deeply, allowing for each and every thought, trouble and worry to disintegrate into nothing. I was thoroughly enjoying my moment of pure, utter tranquility, until a male's voice reverberated through my eardrums, and into my skull.

"I've got a lovely bunch of chicken eggs, dee dee dee dee..." He sang- from what I could detect, he was trundling along the side of the hotsprings, and moving towards the back, where I was resting. After the noise stopped, I slowly crawled across to the shallows, ensuring that my body was concealed by the water, for I had no idea how much visibility there was despite the steam. Every now and then, I heard something being dropped into the water, and at one point, just as I was about to make a dash back into the bath house, I could have sworn that there was something ovoid floating upon the surface. Once I had completed the necessary tasks (drying myself with one of the clean towels, putting my clothes back on, disposing of the towel in the laundry bin and taking the 'occupied' sign down), I decided that I'd have to investigate the man who had the audacity to interrupt my peace- luckily for him, the bath had mellowed me somewhat, and my temper had been overtaken by curiosity.

I recognised him instantly; he was one of the boys who had been at Claire's wedding. His hair was a dark blond, and fell to his shoulders- had it not been for the headband he was sporting, it would have cascaded into his face, untamed. This time, he was not dressed in a suit, his ensemble comprised of a green sweater, blue pants and what seemed to be a blue apron layered on top, and he wasn't wearing dress shoes either. Instead of singing the song, he was now humming the tune as he bent down to retrieve something from the wicker basket on the ground and then straightening it and throwing the object into the hot springs. Deciding that I had nothing to say to him, I instead cleared my throat, loud enough to capture his attention. I was successful- he turned to face me, blue eyes only just visible from behind his glasses, the lenses of which had accumulated a lot of mist thanks to the steam.

"Claire? What're you doing here? I thought you left with the Gourmet..." He removed his glasses, blinking rapidly as he cleared the vapour with the bottom of his apron and then replaced them upon the bridge of his nose. "Wait a second, you're her sister, right? I remember you from the wedding... Wasn't that a great day?"

Had he not corrected himself, my mellow mood would have ended there. Whilst I wasn't as calm as I had been, I was relatively composed and remained polite.

"Yeah, I'm Erica," I mumbled, not mentioning my older counterpart's name. Shrugging, I glanced to the basket- from my position now, I could see that it was full of eggs. Why would someone throw chicken eggs into a hotspring? "It was okay, I guess. I... Met your sister? Popuri, right?"

"Did she say anything to you about a guy named Kai?" Kai? The name was familiar, but I couldn't put a face to it.

"Nope, we only hung out for a little while, and then I got abducted by one of my old aunts who wanted to go on and on about how I'd be the next one walking down the aisle," I frowned, wincing at the mere memory of the conversation and the numerous comparisons to my sister which followed. "What're you doing with those eggs? Don't you have an incubator or something?"

"I'm boiling them," Rick replied, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"In a hot spring, where people bathe naked," came my next statement. "Isn't that a bit... You don't know what's been in the water..."

"But the eggs have shells- you don't eat the shells," he retaliated.

"I know that," I said, somewhat outraged. "But during preparation..." It was then that we looked at oneanother directly, and burst out laughing- the expression on his face must have matched mine,

"I'm Rick," he nodded, offering a hand.

"I know that too," I answered, shaking it and smiling weakly. "Popuri spoke of you, then there was the wedding..." Claire's letters too, but I wasn't going to inform him of that. There I was, searching for small talk as he returned to his eggs. "So... Who's Kai? Popuri's boyfriend?"

I thought I had a bad temper, but I was proven wrong by the sudden spontaneous combustion which occurred where Rick was standing.

"That jerk wishes he was, but he's not even going to come close to wishing, because when I get my hands on him!" He snarled. "Kai is the most perverted, arrogant, cunning little sonofa... Ugh!" Without warning, the male lashed out, his foot coming into contact with the side of the stone pool, preceding Rick's next string of curses too obscene for me to say, let alone write. "That Kai... He just makes me so mad! Gah, my foot!"

Raising my eyebrows, I stepped forward so that we stood side by side, wrapping my right arm around his shoulder.

"C'mon, we've got to take you to the clinic. Don't protest, else I'll throw you in the water," I 'urged' him to move forward via my threat, wincing as he hopped right onto one of his eggs. The yolk splattered everywhere, including up the legs of my jeans. Scowling, I regretted being a good Samaritan as I remembered how far we were from the clinic. I hadn't even started farming yet...


	5. Brains Vs Blubber

Hopefully now I'll be able to get the plot rolling, seeing as the first four chapters only covered Erica's first experiences in Mineral town alone, I'll be doing a few skips in time (besides, it'd end up being pretty boring if I covered every single day of her farm life). I just thought I should let you all know, that Erica is eighteen at the start of this story, the same age Claire was when she first moved to Mineral Town- three years prior to her wedding to Gourmet/Blob. Therefore, some characters, such as May and Stu will be a little older than they are in the game (I take them to be about seven years old, so they'll be ten here). Okay... Rambling over! Let's get on with the story. And by the way, this one's a little longer than the others. :3 Lots of dialogue, I guess. XD

Harvest Moon and all its related characters belong to Marvelous Interactive, I don't own any of the original characters from the game in this story. :3

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**Chapter 5 - Brains Vs. Blubber**

Two weeks had passed since Rick lashed out at the poor hot springs and ended up shattering one of the metatarsals within his foot, and my farm was still barren of any crops. Each day, Zack would amble over to collect any produce he hoped that I was placing within the crate several yards from my front door and then holler at me exasperatedly something about purchasing chickens, or collecting honey from the lone apple tree planted beside the fish pond. He had even given me a fishing rod for free, in order to encourage me to support the local economy. Yet it wasn't my fault that I was neglecting my duties as the town rancher; I was aiding Lillia and Popuri with the chickens down at the Poultry Farm. Feeling partially responsible for the fact that Rick's right foot was encased in a heavy white cast (Popuri and I drew various cartoons on it whilst he was sleeping), I felt obliged to offer them my assistance. It was actually turning out better than I had ever planned, for not only did I find myself slowly befriending the two cotton-candy haired women, but I also learnt several things about Mineral Town- and my sister's antics during her residence there. From what Lillia explained to me, Claire would often be seen walking from Rose Square to Saibara's place, and Rick mentioned that she frequently dropped by at the clinic to deliver herbs that she had found whilst collecting lumber. Typical of my sister, to be helping the aged and the ailing whilst being a successful farmer. The same day that Rick praised her efforts, I sketched a heart and labelled it 'Rick & Kai' on the back of his cast when he took his lunchtime nap, so that he couldn't see it and proceed to break the other foot. It was the twenty-first of Spring when Lillia informed me of a contest that piqued my attention, after I inquired as to why she had purchased so much flour.

"Tomorrow is the Cooking Festival Erica," she explained, as I watched her measuring her ingredients. "It occurs once a year, and each year it has a different theme- last year it was bread, and this year it's noodles. There are five themes in all, so a theme occurs once every five years- unless the judge decides otherwise. Last year, your sister won. I remember that Ann and Doug were so annoyed- their sandwiches are a town sensation, and they usually do win that category." I smiled at her sweetly, less annoyed by her talking about Claire than I was when Rick mentioned her. Perhaps because Lillia and I got on very well- she would ask how I was settling in every day, and on Sundays, she allowed me to visit, even though it was the day when she rested and shared some time with her children.

That night, I returned to the farmhouse, the basket I had spent a week's pay (Lillia insisted that she give me Rick's wages in a way that I could not refuse) bulging with flour and the other ingredients I required to concoct my own batch of noodles. By this time, I knew my way around this kitchen, despite Claire's attempts to hide various cooking implements in places where I wasn't supposed to find them, and I'd even indulged in a brand new seasoning set from the shopping channel on TV (Zack was flabbergasted as how I could afford the gold with the amount of work I put into the farm). I was elbow-deep in a bowl of flour when I heard a knocking at the door. Glancing to the clock, I saw that it was almost nine o'clock- who would possibly be wanting to visit me at this time?

"Eri!" An all too familiar voice shrieked ecstatically as the woman, who was somewhat plumper than when I had last seen her, threw her arms around my neck, almost knocking me to the ground.

"Darnit Claire, how many times have I told you not to call me that?" I groaned, returning the hug less enthusiastically and wriggling free from her grasp. "Why're you here? I thought you were off touring the world with Bl... Gourmet?"

The round-faced blonde (who definitely had put on weight) threw me a glance as if I were stupid, stared at the bowl of what was soon to be my entry for tomorrow's contest and then back at me.

"We are, it just so happens that this is the next spot on our journey! Each year, Gourmet goes to various towns and places where he judges who is the best cook. You... Don't know the story of how we met?"

"Wait a minute, you're telling me that HE is going to be the one judging our food?" I asked, incredulously. If Gourmet was to be sampling our dishes, then I was inevitably doomed. Ever since Claire brought him to the city so that he could get to know our family, the man had been extremely critical of my creations, from the appearance right down to the taste it left in his mouth. How on Earth he could put Claire's cooking on a pedestal and leave mine floundering in the pools of rejection when the woman gave us food poisoning one Christmas, I begged the Harvest Goddess to enlighten me.

"Do you have a problem with that?" She retorted, in that sweet, sugary way that others could not resist.

"No," I huffed, returning to the bowl and staring at the mixture angrily. It wasn't just the fact that he hated my food that bothered me- the two of us just did not get on, from the moment I asked Claire if the man standing outside our front door was wearing a whale costume. He would surely find some way to embarrass me or make me look like an imbecile before the rest of the townsfolk. "Where is he, anyway? Your husband?"

"Oh, he's at the inn- Doug made us a special meal, to celebrate the good news and everything!" Without questioning her further, I took the opportunity to survey her entire form. Taking in the rosy cheeks, the swollen stomach and the joyful expression dogging her eyes, I made a well-educated, pre-emptive guess. Which just so happened to be correct. "I'm pregnant!" Claire announced, with what seemed to be a flourish. If she was expecting me to jump up and down on the spot, or run around screaming with delight at the fact I was going to become an auntie, then something must have happened to her brain, as well as the rest of her body, during the time that had elapsed since the wedding. Instead, I gawked at her in horror, not daring to contemplate as to how they managed to get her pregnant without Claire being scarred physically, or mentally. Perhaps the expression 'love is blind' held some truth after all, but my thoughts swiftly turned to the poor child who would be born half human, half blob.

"How far gone are you?" I croaked, returning to my noodles as she waddled over and took a seat beside the table.

"Um, only a few weeks," she replied. "Why, am I showing already?"

"You're certainly showing something alright," I mumbled lowly, my head buried within the oven after having poured the mixture into a suitable tray so that she couldn't hear me. "Well," I straightened, running one flour-covered hand through my hair (already dusted with a layer of the powder of it's own) and staring at my sister directly. "You have put on a few pounds since I last saw you, but I guess that's just your hormones and whatnot screwing with your body. I really didn't know until you told me- I guess you're keeping it quiet in case something goes wrong?"

"Yeah... Sort of." For the first time in the short duration of our conversation, Claire's enthusiasm and vigour vanished. Deciding that she was most likely exhausted from the trip, I let her rest on my bed for a while, as I couldn't complete my noodles otherwise. As her snores filled the room, soft, gentle and delicate like her demeanour, I carefully delved into the selection of herbs, spices and seasonings from the rack I had acquired and pulled out the chili powder and added it to the noodles waiting to be simmered in the morning via the pot. The fridge revealed its own special, ominous ingredient, which just to happened to be a red capped mushroom speckled with yellow dots. Perfect. If that wasn't enough to burn Gourmet's tongue, then it would cause him severe problems in the stomach department.Concealing them inside the pot, along with the noodles, I finally washed up, and prepared myself for bed.

Claire was gone by the time I woke up- there was a little note on the table explaining that she had left a little while after I'd fallen asleep, and that she would see me in Rose Square in a few hour's time, written on pink paper no less. Deviously pouring my noodles- enhanced with eggs from Poultry Farm alongside bamboo shoots and herbs I had added- into their bowl, I confidently traversed to the place where most of the village was already gathered. Even the elusive doctor, who had tended to Rick at the clinic yet had also avoided me, was there, conversing with Lillia, no less.

"Ah, Erica, I wondered when you might arrive," the woman smiled kindly. "How are you today?"

"I'm good thanks," I nodded, indicating to the dish that she was holding in her arms. "That looks really great- I can smell the balance of seasonings you've got in there. Lemme guess, egg fried noodles, right?" I nodded once more, this time in greeting to the man, whose name neither myself nor Ann, Lillia, Rick or Popuri knew. "I've seen you around, but I don't think we've met properly yet. I'm Erica--"

"Yes, I know," he sighed, notably coldly, as if he wished to terminate our interaction with one another as quickly as he could. "Lillia, are you sure that you're up to this?"

I frowned, recalling his strange appearance at the wedding- not that he had been present in the church, but outside, staring at the building almost longingly. Added to the manner in which he was treating me, I deduced that something must have gone on between him and my sister, though the exact details of which eluded me. Making an excuse so that I could try and salvage some information from Claire, I headed towards the table upon which we were to place our dishes. However, I was interrupted by the far from harmonious, booming voice of my brother-in-law.

"Ahem! If all participants would like to place their wonderful creations on the table, then we can begin the contest!"

"Yes, yes, everyone, put your things here, and Mr. Gourmet can judge who is the best cook!" My Dear Princess' secret fan, alias Mayor Thomas herded the six of us aspiring masterchefs into a line parallel to the table. The girl standing one plate down from me, Karen, looked extremely confident, despite the fact that her noodles were black and emanating a foul stench. She was soon put in her place as the huge mass of blubber spat the mouthful he had consumed back into the bowl and ranted and raved as to how utterly vile it was. This was somewhat disconcerting for me, for it was not dissimilar from the reaction my cooking had received just under a year previously.

"Good luck," I whispered to Lillia, who was standing beside me.

"You too," she nodded, as the Blob approved of her masterpiece, exclaiming that the balance of the seasonings was just perfect- and he said that I knew nothing about good food.

"And finally, Erica!" The Mayor announced, the abomination facing me directly and peering down curiously at my noodles through his monocle.

"Hmmm... I have never seen a dish this colour before," he commented. "What do you call it?"

"It doesn't have a name," I blinked angelically up at him (doing my best Claire impression), not realising how much his lips resembled those of a trout until that moment. "It's just how I make my noodles."

"Well Erica, perhaps you'd like to taste some as well? You're extremely skinny for a girl of your age- come on, take a bite!"

"I'm already full from breakfast," I informed him. "Besides, you didn't ask any of the others to sample theirs..."

"One mouthful won't harm you, Erica," he chuckled heartily, though I was extremely suspicious of the glint somewhere within his piggy eyes. "Or... Is there another reason as to why you don't want to eat it, hmm?"

I glanced around at the expectant faces of the other inhabitants, who were pondering as to why I was reluctant to comply with the creature, their expressions silently voicing the same query. I was, quite literally, screwed.

"Fine..." I mumbled inaudibly, retrieving a set of chopsticks from beside the bowl, and picking up a few of the noodles. Regretting ever considering poisoning the Gourmet, I slowly opened my mouth, stuffing the extremely spicy food inside as quickly as I could and swallowing. "See, it's fine! Completely fine!" I spluttered, my stomach informing me otherwise. "Try some!" I waved the chopsticks frantically in his face, which became more and more distorted with every passing second.

"Erica?" Claire pushed her way towards me, her voice deep as if someone had slowed everything down. "Doctor! She's going to-- Erica!"

Even before I awoke properly, the scent of anti-bacterial wipes, anaesthesia serums and medicinal herbs clouded my senses, informing me that I was in hospital- the clinic, no less. As my eyes flickered open, vision somewhat hazy due to remnants of my brief delirium combined with my body's battle against the poison in the mushroom, I could make out the shape of what seemed to be a mountain of pink cotton candy. Groaning at the thought of food, the mountain spoke, the voice reaching my ears a familiar one.

"Ohmigosh, Erica! You're awake!" Popuri exclaimed, as I stared up at her blearily. "You've been asleep all day and night! It's what... "Two thirty AM?"

It was then that the soft glow of the lamp beside me came to my attention, as if it hadn't been there since Popuri mentioned the fact that it was late and had just popped into existence.

"Ugh," I groaned, pain gripping my stomach. "I was so stupid..."

"You bet you were- what were you thinking? Surely someone like you knows that those mushrooms are extremely harmful!" She scolded, her hands moving to her hips. "But thanks to you, my mom won first prize!"

Well, it was nice to know that someone had benefited from my suffering, aside from Gourmet and his ego. Of course, he would masquerade concern, but secretly be relishing in the fact that he foiled my devious plot. On the subject of concern, a raised voice suddenly drifted into the room I had been (I assumed) carried into.

"Uh-oh," Popuri's eyes were wide. "Claire and Elli, round two."

"Where's the doctor?" I frowned, attempting to sit up, but then realising that my right hand had been secured with a catheter and connected to an intravenous drip (to provide my body with medicine and nutrients, I also assumed), and that my movement was relatively restricted.

"For some reason, he just shut himself away in his room after making sure you were stable," Popuri explained in puzzlement. "Elli's been in a few times to check up on you, and Claire and I have been sitting with you in shifts. Rick wanted to, but I didn't like the idea of it only being me and Mom in the house at night, especially with Gourmet about! He might break in and raid our fridge!" She whispered, glancing over her shoulder, for Claire was obviously just outside of the room.

"Popuri, don't make me laugh," came my groan, as I fought back a chuckle.

"No, he's got a responsibility to oversee that his patients make a full recovery! He's acting like such an unprofessional!" Claire cried, the two of us glancing to the opening (one obviously with more expression upon her face). "Just because of what happened between the us doesn't mean that he can shove my little sister off on some nurse who just scribbles some numbers on a piece of paper every hour!"

"Claire, please! Erica's sleeping, she needs a lot of rest to recover," though Elli's voice was not as loud as Claire's, it was still audible, due to the silence otherwise. "Doctor also needs his rest, Erica will be fine, I promise. He is not the sort of man who would let his feelings get in his way of his work- though I do think it would help if you left, Claire. What you did to him was unforgivable- can you blame the man for not wanting to face the love of his life, who rejected his proposal and then... Ah, I won't say anymore. I cannot promise to keep my temper under control if we continue this. Please wait here, I shall send Popuri out in a second, then you can have your turn with Erica."

I closed my eyes, allowing for my body to become flaccid upon the bed, as if I were sleeping once more. Popuri gently nudged me, after having noticed that I was seemingly no longer awake, and relented after the second. Figuring that I was asleep, she conversed with Elli about my state, and I heard the sound of footsteps pacing in and out of the room. Not caring who it was, my mind began to whirr with the newfound information it had learnt. Claire had something with the doctor, and then threw it all away, for the Blob? What the heck was my sister on?


	6. A Day Off?

My apologies for not updating sooner; I was meant to be writing this chapter last week, only I had to put it on hold due to the fact that last week, we had a tumour scare within the family, and everyone in the house has been pretty stressed since. Please don't pity me or anything, because at the moment it seems to be something else wrong, and (hopefully) isn't life threatening. I did get to play a lot of DS Cute though, during trips to hospitals/ optometrists, and finally have a husband and a child. I'm kinda disappointed with my husband, but our daughter is cute enough. XD

And yes the title of this chapter is lame. I ran out of witty things... ;-;

Harvest Moon and all its related characters belong to Marvelous Interactive, I don't own any of the original characters from the game in this story. :3

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**Chapter 6 - The Day Off?**

"Is it true what they're saying, Erica? Did you really try to poison the Gourmet?"

"No Mary, she mixed up a shiitake mushroom with a toadstool," Popuri sighed, as she slammed the hardback books down upon the counter and caused the usually quiet and meek librarian to flinch. Her thirst for the sordid details of the previous week's event was obviously surpassing her typical awkwardness with us, and even the well-being of the books- usually when Popuri treated them in such a manner, Mary would become slightly more flustered and she would attempt to scold her. Popuri liked to visit the library, tucked away in the north of Mineral Town, in order to check out various romance novels which she read in order to lose IQ points, and also to delude herself into thinking that the entire world was filled with handsome hunks who just so happened to look perfect in swimwear and who sat at the corners of every street waiting to scoop a girl into his arms and steal her away to live happily ever after. Even after I enlightened her with my remark which informed her that actually counted as abduction and in many cases, indecency in public, Popuri still refused to quash her habit of reading them. Aloud.

"Why are you so interested anyway?" I mumbled, thumbing through a book depicting images of various crops and their growth times. "I don't mean to be rude, but... Yeah. We haven't spoken much, you and I."

"Well," Mary chewed her lower lip nervously, beginning to play with the long dark plait keeping her hair tidy- she often did this, especially when Gray happened to venture in whilst we were there (he had not made an appearance so far, though was due to arrive at any moment). "I'm um, trying to write a murder mystery novel at the moment, and I just wanted to know if... I'm sorry, my mother and her friends gossip a lot..." Mary was nothing like her female predecessor, who was one of the trio of women who liked to gather in Rose Square every day and bad-mouth/ discuss the townspeople and their antics.

"It's okay," I shrugged, glad that it was being circulated under the title as a rumour, rather than the truth. Perhaps it was the wrong thing to do, but I had to live in this town- the Goddess only knew what I would have done without the support of Popuri and her family. Suddenly, the door opened. Expecting to see Gray, and then for Mary to display every hue of red and pink physically possible as he spoke to her, I rolled my eyes, wishing that they didn't have any slushy novels available to feed Popuri's addiction. Admittedly, I was still slightly haunted by the fact that he had seen several pairs of my underwear, yet I also couldn't tolerate the tension which accumulated when he was in the library. However, two people stood in the aperture: Ann and a male with long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. They were holding hands, yet she swiftly released him as she realised that the three of us were all staring at them. With faces to rival tomatoes as far as their red colour was concerned, they silently crept behind one of the bookshelves; voices hushed. Popuri poked me, as I placed my book on the counter for Mary to check out.

"Aren't they cute? They've only been dating for a season or so! Ever since Ann found Cliff collapsed in Rose Square!" She whispered excitedly. Other than chickens, romance was the one thing which made Popuri act that way.

"Uhh... Wasn't that in the compilation novel you read to me in the hospital?" I frowned, watching Mary scribe the date I needed to return the book.

"No, it's true," Mary smiled. "Just like in a love story..."

"Which was exactly why I just asked that question," came my sigh, as she handed the object to me.

"Hey, Erica, can you give me a hand with these?" Popuri was attempting to lift her mountain of fiction off the counter without causing the books to crash to the floor and become damaged. "I don't think I can carry them all!"

"Sure," once again I sighed, retrieving half of the pile- which was relatively heavy, especially for someone such as Popuri who did not possess a great deal of strength. "Next time we come, I'll get the wheelbarrow from the barn or something, and we'll bring them up in that. "Thanks Mary, we'll see you later!"

"You don't mean... The one that you're meant to use to clean up the um, cow..."

"Yeah, but I don't have any cows at the moment, so for now we can use it for your books. No way have you not read any of those already!" I chuckled weakly; at least conversation filled the monotonous journey down the brick-paved path which led back to Poultry Farm. However, there was something particularly odd during this journey, as Popuri was acting very strangely- for her, anyhow. It was as if she and Mary had shared a personality transplant, because never before had I seen her like this.

"Say, Erica, what day is it today?" She finally mumbled, though her voice was muffled by the stack of books in her arms.

"Uh... It's Sunday.. And the last day of Spring... Why are you asking- have you got a date or something?"

"No, no!" Popuri protested much more animatedly now. Turning to her, I could see that her cheeks matched the colour of her hair. Therefore, a dose of teasing was required, in order to revive her from the stupor that I was afraid that she would slip back into.

"Now Popuri. Remember that whilst you are eighteen, and legal, you cannot go around throwing yourself at anyone- one, you'll get a reputation, and two, Rick will most likely lock you up in a tower far away and employ some sort of scary mythical creature to guard it. With the head of your date mounted on a pike to warn everyone in advance."

"Erica!" She whined, stretching the last syllable of my name. "You know that I'm waiting until I'm married... And no, it's not a date!" Then came the pout, and the slightly raised shoulders which accompanied her version of being irritated by something. "If you must know... Today is the day that Kai comes to town..."

I had no idea as to what Kai looked like, aside from the vague description documented by my sister in the letters that she sent to me ("_He wears a purple bandanna and is very handsome, just like the other Mineral Town boys!")_, but if Claire found him attractive, then we were all doomed for the summer. I was hoping to spend a lot of time at the beach, with Popuri, Rick, and Rick's 'friend' Karen, as the four of us had formed some sort of clique (Karen and I spoke most mornings when I went and collected the groceries in place of Rick, though I was closest to Popuri) and the forecasts for the days ahead appeared to be reasonably decent. Also, it was the first time I had ever lived close to a beach, and I just possessed an inkling that maybe something good would come out of the time not spent tending to the corn on my farm (Lillia and I had arranged an agreement concerning this). As that thought came to my attention, I groaned at the prospect of ploughing the fields and planting the seeds alone. It would most likely take me the rest of the day, which was annoying, as this was supposed to be my time off working at the Poultry Farm. Turning back to face Popuri, I did not notice that someone else was walking towards us, until I happened to crash right into him. The impact sent the books toppling to the ground, some landing spine first and bursting open, others landing pages first... Bending down whilst mumbling a few light-profanities towards the person who had been just as stupid as I had, I began to pick them back up. A hand reached for the book that I was just about to retrieve, and our fingers touched before I snatched it away and glanced up to gaze at whoever it was. Which I should have realised sooner, as it was obvious that we would have bumped into him at some point during our traverse back to Popuri's house.

"Look where you're going next time, okay?" Gray mumbled sternly from beneath the peak of his cap. "You've damaged some of the books."

"And you haven't?" I retorted, Popuri intervening before we went any further.

"Erica's really sorry Gray, we were talking about um, chickens, and got carried away!" Thank you Popuri, now I looked like a klutz and an idiot- who on Earth spaced out over chickens, aside from the two obvious candidates? First the underwear incident- I also regretted what I said that night at the inn- and now this. Even worse was the fact that I wasn't sorry, not in the slightest. It was both our faults, and the only casualties happened to be made of paper. I remained silent as I stood up, deliberately side-stepping to give him room to pass before stalking off down the path. A second later, Popuri was walking alongside me, endeavouring to cheer me up by talking about how the eggs in the incubators were almost ready to hatch. The prospect of baby birds however, did not lighten my mood.

"I have some free time before dinner," Popuri informed me after we reached my farm (after having finally made it back to her house and deposited her books and collected the corn seeds). "So I can help you until then, after that, I'm going to go home!"

"Thanks," I grunted, picking up the hoe from the basket of tools I'd discovered in the barn. It was harder than I'd thought, tilling the soil. No matter how hard I tried, I only managed to scrape the top layer of dirt away- which was definitely not a suitable depth for seeds. "Hey, Popuri, can you bring me my book?" This was perhaps the only use she would really be, yet I neglected to tell her that.

"Sure thing!" She nodded enthusiastically, dashing over to the wheelbarrow where my book sat atop a large cluster of pale yellow bags filled with corn seeds. "Hey, um, Erica. Why do you want to know about making jewellery at a time like this?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I thought you got that one about farming?"

"I did, because it also had some recipes that I wanted to try out... Wait a sec... Let me see it," anything to save my arms from the strain of the hoe. "Okay, I definitely did not get that one out. Why would I want to make- oh... This must be Gray's book, which means that... Dammit, he must have mine... And the library's closed now, so is Saibara's place. Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to give it to him, because I've got too much work to do here..."

"Hey, can I use your bathroom?"

"Sure, knock yourself out," I frowned, scratching my head as I examined the hoe to see if there were any hidden features that I hadn't noticed before that might have aided me in my quest to prepare the land. Popuri's footsteps dashing through the grass soon faded away, and I was alone to work this problem out. At least, I thought it was.

"Hey there, you must be the new rancher, right?" A voice I had never heard before asked, containing the faint traces of an accent which I wasn't familiar with. I turned around, there was no-one behind me- but as I returned to my tool, I caught a flash of purple out of the corner of my eye. The male chuckled as I 'found' him, staring down at me with brown eyes that seemed to contain a glimmer of well... Fun, as well as friendliness. He was easily taller than I was (something which wasn't new), his skin was the colour of dark caramel, his hair covered by the bandana bound about his head. Not only was his headgear purple, but his pants as well, and he wore light green bands about his wrists. Had he been living in the city, perhaps they would have mocked his clothing choice, but it suited him.

"Yeah, I'm Erica."

"I'm Kai," he nodded, "I run the shack on the beach- and tomorrow there's gonna be a disc throwing competition down there." He must have read the expression upon my face, for he added, "you might want to come down, because I'm providing the food?" He was charismatic, and very persuasive, for I found myself nodding and even smiling.

"Sure, so long as you don't think that I'm going to spike it with poison like most of the town thinks I would."

"Oh yeah, Gray told me about that! It was pretty funny- not for you, I mean. Shame you were the one who ended up hospitalised and not the Gourmet. Though between you and me? I don't really think that they'd be able to get him on a stretcher..."

"You'd just need to borrow one of the ones that they use to rescue whales and stuff, when they get stranded on the shore," I grinned, as he raised his dark eyebrows and then returned the facial gesture.

"I best be off soon- you look really busy here, and I only came to tell you about the thing tomorrow, and to give you these." He held out what appeared to be a bag of seeds, though the material containing them was a much more brighter, vibrant yellow than that of the corn. "Plant them somewhere, water them every day, and then come and see me when they're fully grown! Oh, and Gray's got your book about farming. He wanted me to ask you to bring his one to the festival tomorrow, so you can trade. I asked him why he won't do it himself, but he seems to think you might throw your panties at him again. I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Kai laughed, as he noticed the sudden flourish of crimson within my complexion. "He's told me a lot about you, weird, right?" Now Kai looked at me confusedly, before dropping the seeds into my palm. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then... It starts at ten, but come down whenever you're finished doing whatever here. Later, Erica!" With a wave, he disappeared as swiftly as he had appeared, whistling a tune. No sooner had he left, Popuri emerged from the farm house, and was bustling back to me.

"Eri, I have to go home now," she frowned. "But I'll see you tomorrow at the beach! You are coming to the competition, right?"

"Uh-huh," I nodded in response, for some reason, hiding the bag Kai had given me behind my back. "See you there, go home safely, have a nice dinner, buh-bye!"

Popuri eyed me strangely before she too, left the ranch. It took me at least half an hour to get used to the mechanisms of the hoe, and the sun was slowly slinking behind the horizon, almost as if it would not set until I had finished, when I completed the back-breaking labour. Placing the hoe carefully among the sickle, the axe and the hammer, I picked up the mysterious bag of seeds and felt a smile creep across my face. Perhaps this was the first time I'd agreed with something Claire had said, but I didn't care. Kai _was_ handsome, and he and I shared a connection as far as Gourmet jokes were concerned. Yet something niggled within the smallest crevices of my mind, telling me that things weren't as they seemed, and also reminding me of his words. Gray had told Kai a lot about me, but for what reason? This was why it was always best to avoid boys- a lot of the time, they caused too much confusion and trouble for my liking. Only they hadn't caused me enough trouble just yet. That was soon to come.


End file.
